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"Restrictive airway disease"--or how my son freaked us all the eff out

We're all sick this week. Big ole house o' virus here. The 3yro has the most typical symptoms--snotty nose, occasional cough, somewhat upset tummy. Mommy here has WTF? Am I Really Sick? symptoms--skin hurts, body hurts, fatigue, and a piercing headache (low grade fever just one day). Daddy is just tired and achey with a mildly upset tummy. The 6yro's body, however, went into full-on panic mode as the virus went straight to his lungs.

When I picked him up after school Thursday--a day I took off work to become one with the couch--he was crying that he didn't feel good. I brought him home, checked his temp (101.2), and started the nebulizer as his breathing was wheezy and he was whimpering with each struggled breath. As he watched his favorite movie (Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron--hooray, horsey movie!) after the nebulizer treatment, I watched him breathe. His stomach would push with each breath, and his ribs would go in instead of out. Uh oh. I called the pediatrician, who sent us straight to urgent care. In hindsight, I wish we'd gone straight to UC, or an emergency room, from school.

Hubby took Boy 1 while I stayed home with Boy 2, feeding, bathing, and bedding him while anxiously checking my phone for updates.

Boy 1's oxygen levels were low, so they immediately put him on oxygen (which scared him, even though it didn't hurt--he was afraid of wearing the tubing), and then they started him on an IV of a potent anti-inflammatory medication to get his lungs to calm the eff down. When hubby texted me that, I moaned--putting an IV on this kid was NOT going to go well for anyone. And in fact, it didn't. It took three pokes and three locations before they got it in, and got it in to stay. In his panic, his blood pressure raised enough that his vein "blew out" the second jab.

But, they got it in, and they then started him on a double-dose albuterol treatment on the nebulizer. Exhausted and feverish, Boy 1 fell asleep while his body was soothed by the welcome presence of oxygenated blood, and hubby sent me this pic. Poor baby.

After all that, the doc still could hear something in his left lung, so he was sent for x-rays to check for pneumonia. Thankfully, they were clear.

Hubby expressed deep gratitude that I had called the doctor and sent Boy 1 on to UC--seeing how much he was still struggling to breathe, after all that treatment, was unnerving to my stoic hubby.

Four hours of treatment later, my super-wired-from-medication boy came home with a new Lego set, two prescriptions, and a worried mommy's arms.

Two days later, the steroid prescription has transformed him to an incredibly irritable, hyper, moody grump. But considering what he was like two days ago, I am grateful he feels good enough to be an irritable, hyper, moody grump.

The doc said to limit exertion and outdoor activity. We've been planning to go spectate at a local driving show (we're currently training his mini to drive--he wants that more than taking riding lessons) tomorrow, and might still. I think it'll be good for him to see other kids driving, but of course, it depends on health.

From what we've been repeatedly told, he doesn't have asthma; just "reactive airway disease," which is more a less a catch-all term of this sort of thing. He can go months, and as much as a year, without an episode. It isn't triggered by allergies, heat, dust, or physical exertion--it always, always follows a viral respiratory infection. This is by far the worst he's ever been, and I swear it came out of nowhere.

Oh, poor Lauruffian's Whole Family Unit!! Your boys are so adorable (do moms ever get tired of hearing that? ) and through your posts I feel like I've gotten to know and care about them (does that sound creepy/stalkerish? I hope not.) Here's hoping he grows out of this problem. Now that you now how quick it happens and how bad it gets, you'll know to skip to the hospital first.

I am on day 6 of that goofy cold, bad headache, vomiting, nose running, sneezing my head off, coughing until ribs hurt, the whole misery.
Today is the first day I feel ok, just have a bad cold.
Before, I was SICK, just not very sick.

I have asthma and am glad it didn't just go to my lungs, as they do what your kid's do, overreact and that is bad, poor kid.

Seems that everyone here is catching this, half the staff at the Drs was out with this, they were short handed!

I hope all of you gets over this soon, but they told me this is a three, not two week cold.

Feel better Bluey! I've heard the same thing--that this virus lingers longer than most. Oof. I need to be careful myself as my lungs were damaged when I was pregnant with my youngest--I got H1N1 during my 3rd trimester and it made breathing laborious for the next two years. I had an ER visit of my own about a year after having my youngest; in my case, I had significant pain between my ribs and felt heavy. In a way, it was a good experience, because they treated me much like they treated my eldest on Thursday night--oxygen, albuterol (THREE doses...holy crap, the world was vibrating afterwards!), steroid shots. Oof. Again.

He's doing much better, except for the whole steroid-turning-him-into-a-PMSing-14yro-girl thing. GAH. I casually tell him to do something, he yells his head off. His brother bumps him, he yells. You correct him, he yells and bursts into tears. And, my overtired little man is having trouble sleeping--a common side effect. Oof. No fun, but still FAR better. I just need to send him with flowers for his teacher tomorrow. If only I could send him with wine.

I am so sorry everyine was sick. My 12 year old is just getting over the flu, positive test, that led to sinus infection that led to pneumonia. I hope everyone is better and can not await to see your son driving his mini!!

I am so sorry everyine was sick. My 12 year old is just getting over the flu, positive test, that led to sinus infection that led to pneumonia. I hope everyone is better and can not await to see your son driving his mini!!

I had the flu twice in my life and it is really not anything like a cold, but a real, you think you are dying and may do just that! experience.

Boy 1 was excited to to the horse show today (as a spectator, of course)--he made sure he dressed the part--but the wind was CRAZY INSANE and we stayed under an hour. We then went by a tack store and bought our mini a leather halter so we can make her presentable for when we take her to a non-gusty-wind show.